It’s no secret that the hospitality sector is one of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution globally, and here at AZRAQ, we think all of those plastic utensils that they give away (you know, the ones that end up among the most common items found during costal clean ups) are pretty useless!

In 2016, Worldcentric.org estimated that 40 billion plastic utensils were used every year in the United States alone. The majority of these were thrown out after just one use and ended up in landfills and waterways… something must be done.

In order to highlight this problem, and hopefully get people to think twice about their usage, AZRAQ has launched #uselessutensils in partnership with Freedom Pizza, Lush Middle East, Carluccio’sand Beitfann Studio (Sustainable City). We’re aiming to collect as many plastic forks, knives and spoons over the next six weeks as possible in the UAE and we need your help!

Once we’re finished collecting, we’ll be handing over those #uselessutensils to artist Mariska Nell and our partner schools, who will each be making showpieces, illustrating the impacts of utensils on our oceans.

GET INVOLVED!

All YOU need to do to play your role in this campaign is provide your drawer-full of plastic utensils that you’ve collected and don’t quite know what to do with, or even just a single plastic spoon that you’d like to keep away from landfill, to your friendly Freedom Pizza Delivery driver or drop them off at you nearest Lush store between 5th May and 15th June and join us on our Instagram page using the hashtag #uselessutensils.

Additionally, you can provide thisletterto food outlets providing unwanted #uselessutensils to determine if they will reconsider

The theme for the showpieces will be marine debris, focusing on the statement:

“The hospitality sector is one of the biggest contributors to plastic pollution globally.”

The artwork will be shared across our social platforms, so make sure you’re following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and we will be awarding prizes to our favourite three on Wednesday, 30 July.

In 2016 Worldcentric.org estimated that 40 billion plastic utensils were used every year in the United States alone.

#USELESSUTENSILS

The majority of plastic utensils are thrown out after just one use and end up in landfills and waterways.

#USELESSUTENSILS

Dubai produced one million tonnes of plastic waste in 2017. *

#USELESSUTENSILS

In 2018, it was stated that Dubai produced almost 9,300 tonnes of waste per day. *

#USELESSUTENSILS

In 2016, packaging accounted for more than 60% of the plastics recovered in global coastal clean-up operations. **

#USELESSUTENSILS

The food and soft drinks sectors are the biggest contributors to plastic packaging, accounting for 23% and 12% of the overall impact, respectively. **

#USELESSUTELSILS

95% of plastic packaging material value, equivalent to $80 - $120 billion annually is lost to the economy once single-use plastic is disposed. ***

#USELESSUTENSILS

THANK YOU

THANK YOU to the following outlets who removed have removed #USELESSUTENSILS from their service since the announcement of this campaign in the region.

WHY DID WE START THIS CAMPAIGN DURING RAMADAN?

Ramadan is a beautiful and sacred time for Muslims, during which they fast and abstain, while showing gratitude and charity. Families gather for Suhoor, the last meal of the day before the daylight fast, and Iftar is an especially social affair when family and friends gather to break their sacred fast together and give praise to God for the food and water provided.

At Azraq, we promote healthy practices for both the body AND the environment, and #uselessutensils gives everybody the opportunity to practice abstinence during the holy month; abstinence from single-use plastics! Not just utensils either, but water bottles and plastic bags too, while showing gratitude for the natural offerings this planet provides.

We urge YOU, as well as the hospitality industry, to be mindful of the impacts of plastic utensils during Ramadan and beyond. We are grateful to those in the hospitality industry, such as our partner, Freedom Pizza, who are joining us in saying NO to single use plastics wherever possible and doing their part to make the industry more sustainable.

We wish everyone a happy and healthy Ramadan, whereby both our bodies and are planet are enriched.

THE FACTS.

Plastic utensils--along with CD cases and plastic foam--are typically made from a plastic called polystyrene which is made from a resin marked with a No. 6.

Polystyrene is not biodegradable and can last for centuries.

Polystyrene is a thermoplastic, which means it can be melted and remolded repeatedly, so recycling it is possible.

Many counties and recycling centers, however, don't accept polystyrene because it costs too much for them to recycle it efficiently.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? REDUCE YOUR USE!

Since recycling polystyrene is difficult and reusing it is unsafe, the best option is to use less plastic cutlery. When you order takeout, ask your server or delivery driver to leave out the plastic knife, fork and spoon -- ensure you have your own!

Deliveroo in the UAE has a cutlery opt-out feature, so make sure to use this feature as much as possible. There really is no excuse for #uselessutensils.

Bring reusable cutlery to office lunches or encourage your colleagues to use reusable cutlery at office meetings. When it comes to plastic cutlery, refusing and reducing is better than reusing or recycling.